Synopses & Reviews
Volcanic dust, climate change, tsunamis, earthquakesand#151;geoscience explores phenomena that profoundly affect our lives. But more than that, as Doug Macdougall makes clear, the science also provides important clues to the future of the planet. In an entertaining and accessibly written narrative, Macdougall gives an overview of Earthand#8217;s astonishing history based on information extracted from rocks, ice cores, and other natural archives. He explores such questions as: What is the risk of an asteroid striking Earth? Why does the temperature of the ocean millions of years ago matter today? How are efforts to predict earthquakes progressing? Macdougall also explains the legacy of greenhouse gases from Earthand#8217;s past and shows how that legacy shapes our understanding of todayand#8217;s human-caused climate change. We find that geoscience in fact illuminates many of todayand#8217;s most pressing issuesand#151;the availability of energy, access to fresh water, sustainable agriculture, maintaining biodiversityand#151;and we discover how, by applying new technologies and ideas, we can use it to prepare for the future.
Review
and#8220;MacDougall has given us a gem, a book that removes emotion and apocalyptic hyperbole from the equation and provides a sober analysis of why most scientists have come to the conclusion they have about how human activity has started to play a role in the Earthand#8217;s climate.and#8221;
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"[Macdougall] Provides important clues to the future of the planet."--Interaction / Bms Book News
Review
and#8220;[Macdougall] addresses ways to apply geology to questions . . . and presents all in an enjoyable reading stye.and#8221;
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and#8220;A wonderful primer on geology, and a clear explanation of how the science is done.and#8221;
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“A wonderful primer on geology, and a clear explanation of how the science is done.” Rob Hardy
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“[Macdougall] Provides important clues to the future of the planet.” Jim Trageser - North County Times
Review
and#8220;[Macdougall] Provides important clues to the future of the planet.and#8221;
Synopsis
and#147;Macdougall does a masterful job of exploring the questions, dilemmas, and insights that have led to todayand#8217;s scientific understanding of the composition of our planet. His approach is not and#147;rocks on a shelfand#8221; science; itand#8217;s a compelling, interdisciplinary peek at Earthand#8217;s prehistoryand#151;including those processes that support so much of modern civilization.and#8221;-Ernest Zebrowski, author of
Global Climate Change and
Category 5: The Story of Camilleand#147;The story of Earth is told in such geologic forms as rock strata, volcanic eruptions, meteor craters, fossils, ocean currents, and ice flows. Macdougall gives these disparate elements voice and puts them into a perspective that emphasizes why Earth science is important in our understanding of both the planetand#8217;s history and our role in its tomorrow.and#8221;-Jeff Kanipe, author of The Cosmic Connection: How Astronomical Events Impact Life on Earth
About the Author
Doug Macdougall is Professor Emeritus of Earth Sciences at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego. He is the author of Natureand#8217;s Clocks: How Scientists Measure the Age of Almost Everything; Frozen Earth: The Once and Future Story of Ice Ages (both from UC Press); and A Short History of Planet Earth.
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
Preface
Acknowledgments
1. Set in Stone
2. Building Our Planet
3. Close Encounters
4. The First Two Billion Years
5. Wandering Plates
6. Shaky Foundations
7. Mountains, Life, and the Big Chill
8. Cold Times
9. The Great Warming
10. Reading LIPs
11. Restless Giants
12. Swimming, Crawling, and Flying toward the Present
13. Why Geology Matters
Bibliography and Further Reading
Index